Jacobs travels to Taiwan, continues legacy of international outreach

Jacobs, sixth from the left in the front row, with the 25 participants from 25 countries who attended his one week course in Taiwan this spring.

In May, Professor Harvey M. Jacobs (Urban & Regional Planning) continued his (and his Department's) long-time participation in the activities of the International Center for Land Policy Studies and Training of Taiwan. 

He taught a one week short course as part of their 113th Regular Session on Land Policy for Sustainable Rural Development; his students were 25 mid-career professionals from 25 different countries globally. 

While in Taiwan he was also invited to give a lecture at the Department of Land Economics of National Chengchi University, and to facilitate a faculty round table on comparative research at the University's College of Social Science.

Category: Social Sciences
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Anthro alumnus invited to Presidential Summit on Entrepeneurship

Dr. Nasser Abufarha

UW-Madison alumnus Dr. Nasser Abufarha (MA'03, Anthropology; PhD'06, Anthropology with a minor in Urban & Regional Planning) has been invited by President Obama to the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship April 26–27 in Washington.

Abufarha is the founder of Canaan Fair Trade and the Palestine Fair Trade Association, two organizations committed to fair trade and social progress with small Palestinian farmers. 

Abufarha helps export olive oil, olives, couscous, almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, tahini, za’atar (thyme), honey and olive oil soap to companies and specialty stores in the United States, Europe, Canada and Southeast Asia.

More than 1,700 farmers provide source materials to Canaan Fair Trade and the artisan farmers are organized into collectives and cooperatives under the Palestinian Fair Trade Association.

Abufarha will also be giving two talks on campus:

• "Insisting on Life" Tuesday May 4, 12-1:30pm - 206 Ingraham Hall: Fair trade and organic agriculture in Palestine has become a vehicle for economic and social empowerment and a medium for cultural expression and alternative modes of engagement. This grassroots livelihood and environmental sustainability initiative makes space for Palestine as a culture by articulating traditional Palestinian agri-culture within the modern global economy through fair trade and organic agricultural practices.
  
  
• "Dying to Live" Wednesday May 5, 3-4:30pm - 206 Ingraham Hall: Drawing from his book The Making of a Human Bomb, Abufarha will present the development of martyrdom strategies and Palestinian suicide attacks through mimetic engagement with Israeli state violence and how they serve as a medium for cultural expression. He explores how the cultural meanings associated with the performance of martyrdom and sacrifice in Palestine sustain Palestinian life.
  

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Morales's publications garner attention from national, local media

Professor Alfonso Morales

Professor Alfonso Morales (Urban & Regional Planning) recently published a coauthored law review article "Healthy Food Outside" (with Gregg Kettles) in volume 26 of the Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy, and "Zoning for Urban Agriculture" (with Nina Mukherji) in Zoning Practice.

Morales has been interviewed about his research on marketplaces and urban agriculture for one recent radio show and nine newspaper and magazine publications from around the country, including On Wisconsin and Wisconsin Week.

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Jacobs gives inaugural address at Canadian national conference

Professor Harvey M. Jacobs

Professor Harvey M. Jacobs (Urban & Regional Planning) had the honor of being the only American invited to the inaugural Canadian national conference on Private Property, Planning and the Public Interest, organized and sponsored by the University of Windsor (Ontario) Law School. 

Jacobs was invited to give the plenary, keynote address which he titled "Private Property in Historical and Contemporary Global Context.” 

In addition, Jacobs recently gave a webinar (a web-based seminar) under the sponsorship of the American Planning Association's continuing education program. 

The webinar was titled "Talking the Property Rights Blues" and registered more than 1,000 persons nationwide.

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Jacobs gives talks in Germany, Florida in February

Professor Harvey M. Jacobs

Professor Harvey M. Jacobs (Urban and Regional Planning) presented the closing keynote address to the fourth annual meeting of the International Academic Association on Planning, Law and Property Rights, held in Dortmund, Germany, February 10-12, 2010. 

His talk was titled, "Shaping the Property Rights Debate in the U.S. and Europe: The Influence of Neo-liberal Advocacy Organizations." 

Also in February, Jacobs delivered the keynote address to the annual Research Showcase program at the University of Florida's College of Design, Construction and Planning; his talk was titled, "Fighting Over Land and Property Rights: An American Pastime."

Category: Social Sciences
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Morales featured in AP story on urban farming

Professor Alfonso Morales (Urban & Regional Planning) was recently featured in the San Francisco Examiner in a story picked up by the Associated Press.

Urban farmers fight nationwide to sow green biz

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Morales preps for spring semester with talks at UCLA, upcoming publications

Professor Alfonso Morales.

Professor Alfonso Morales (Urban & Regional Planning) has a lot to look forward to this spring. 

Morales has been invited to deliver two lectures at UCLA in May, one on street vendors and the other on urban agriculture, both in terms of community development. 

In the meantime, Morales is publishing Zoning for Urban Agriculture in the journal Zoning Practice.  A book chapter on tax compliance and street vendors has has also been accepted to an edited collection that will be published by Springer.  Another book chapter on food justice is accepted in a book that will be published by MIT.

Finally, Morales' coauthored law review article "Healthy Food Outside" will be published as the lead article in Volume 26 of the Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy.

Category: Biological & Physical Sciences
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